


Practice Interrupted

by meg_0841



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Period Typical Attitudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 10:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13634835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meg_0841/pseuds/meg_0841
Summary: “Hey Anne. Sorry I was held up. I hope I didn’t keep you wait…” Phillip’s voice trailed off as he took in the sight before him. Anne’s chocolate eyes bore into his own blue ones but the terror in them with the sign of tears forming is what set Phillip off in a spiral.An evening rehearsal gets interrupted with ghosts from Phillip's past.





	Practice Interrupted

**Author's Note:**

> I think we all fell in love with those two (I mean Zendaya and Zac, come on!)  
> Set after the movie, with Phillip and Anne in a established relationship.  
> Don't own anything besides my ideas and the original male characters.  
> All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Anne smiled as she walked back towards the main tent after having changed from her purple sparkling performance attire into the red short and cream top that constituted her practice clothes. It had been a few weeks since the circus had reopened by the docks and she couldn’t be happier. With the big attendance numbers they had been getting since they reopened, the circus had been able to increase the number of acts in the show and even add a few more exotic animals.

It had also been a while since Barnum had stepped down as ringmaster and passed his hat, and the business, over to Phillip. The small smile on Anne’s face grew wider as she thought about the playwright turned circus boy. Since the fire and that first kiss in the hospital, Anne had been very open with her feelings towards Phillip. It helped that Phillip made it very clear to her that he didn’t care what the world was saying about their relationship. Almost ever performance now ended with him dipping her, removing his hat, and planting one on her lips to the shock of all in the audience. They also had kind of a ritual on nights after a performance; Anne would change out of her costume while Phillip went over the numbers quickly before they met back in the tent so Phillip could spot her while she practiced a bit more on her ropes. Sometimes Anne was even able to get Phillip up in the air with her to show him a few tricks he could perform himself.

Anne was so engrossed with her thoughts while rewrapping her wrists in pink tape as she entered the tent, that she didn’t notice the group of men lounging around the center ring. She brushed some curls away from her eyes as she looked up and quickly stopped in her tracks as the men stood up from their spots seated around the main ring. There hadn’t been any trouble from the drunks in the city since the circus had moved down by the docks, but the nicer clothes the men were wearing informed Anne that these weren’t just drunks that were looking to cause trouble. And since the male performers all stayed around until the whole audience left every night before leaving themselves, Anne knew that these men had entered the tent only a little while ago.

“The performance is over for the evening, gentlemen.” Anne stated clearly through the quiet tent. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

There were six men all together and when Anne spoke, one in particular moved to the front of the group and called back, “Sorry if we scared you. We are actually waiting for an old friend.”

Anne’s brows furrowed as the men made no move to leave the circus; in fact, they were taking measured steps towards her. The closer they came, the more Anne was able to make out about their appearance. They were definitely dressed in nice shirts, much like the ones Phillip first wore when he began working at the circus before he was cut off from his family. The biggest thing Anne noticed though was the stagger most of the men walked with and caught glimpses of bottles in some hands.

Anne’s gut had never failed her before and that’s saying something for a girl that was born in the South and spent her life as a trapeze artist. And right now, her gut was telling her that she needed to run and run quickly. As the first man reached about five feet from her, Anne started to back up slowly as to not make too much of a scene as she inched her way towards the tent flap leading towards the performers’ living area.

“If you let me know who you’re waiting for, I can go inform him you are here so he knows to hurry.” Anne spoke, still inching her way backwards while the five men in front of her continued stalking her way. _Wait…I thought I saw six of them earlier._ Anne almost pushed the thought away as her having counted one man twice until she felt a pair of hands grab both her forearms, halting her retreat from the tent. Frantically pulling on her arms to try and get out of the grasp, Anne’s head spun to see that sure enough, the unaccounted man had snuck around behind her. Now her gut was really screaming at her to fight and run, maybe even do some screaming herself. Phillip had to be close enough now that he would hear her and come quickly.

Drawing a breath to scream, Anne’s breath was stifled when the guy holding her moved a hand to cover her mouth and the other went around her waist. The man that seemed to be taking the lead spoke while shaking his head like he was scolding a child for a foolish decision.  

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Anne.” He made it come out like a friendly suggestion as he strolled up to where she was currently being held against her will. He motioned for the hand to be removed from her mouth when he noticed the fight leave her body. _This man knows my name…that’s never a good sign._

“How…how do you know me?” Anne mentally kicked herself for the stutter that hinted towards the fear that was building inside her stomach.

Now that the man was directly in front of her, Anne was able to make out a lot more features and was surprised by a few. _He can’t be much older than Phillip._ She thought seeing as he was definitely on the younger side though the presence of a beard trying to grow in made it clear he was at least in his later twenties. The eyes bearing into her own molten brown were a deep green and cold unlike Phillip’s own warm blue that reminded her of the sky. It was those eyes that ranked up and down her body that actually sent a shiver down her spine and brought her attention back to the fact she was only wearing the shorts and top she used for practice which left her legs and arms bare.

“Can we get a move on Andrew? I don’t want to be here if some of the other circus freaks decide to show up” one of the other men asked sounding anxious to be done with whatever the goal was for the evening and gone before any of the circus performers saw them. The man in front of her, Andrew as she now knew, glanced behind him towards the man with dark hair that had spoken up. It was the first time Anne heard anyone else speak and she could hear the slight tremble in the new man’s voice. She didn’t want to hope for a friend in this mess but the man’s tone made it seem like at least one person wasn’t the most confident in the plan for the evening.

“Oh shut up, Conner.” Another man said as he stepped closer to Andrew and Anne. This one looked like he could almost be related to Andrew as they had the same square jaw and dirty blonde hair, though this new speaker seemed to be slightly older as he kept his beard grown and his hair slightly longer. But it was the accent that told Anne this man wasn’t from around the New York area, though she couldn’t place where she felt she’d heard the accent before. “The show doesn’t start until Phillip gets here. Though I guess I wouldn’t mind a little preview.” His eyes stayed longer on her body than Anne liked at all and her blood pumped faster when his words processed through her scattered brain. _They know Phillip?_ Was her first thought followed closely by _Wait? Preview?!_ This new man took a swig from the bottle in his left hand and placed it on the ground before stalking up to Anne and raising his right hand up and stroked her check with the back of it. Anne closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay while waiting for the touching to stop but her eyes snapped open and she turned her head to her right when she heard footsteps entering the tent followed closely by…

“Hey Anne. Sorry I was held up. I hope I didn’t keep you wait…” Phillip’s voice trailed off as he took in the sight before him. Anne’s chocolate eyes bore into his own blue ones but the terror in them with the sign of tears forming is what set Phillip off in a spiral. “Get your hands off her,” he growled as he stalked forward ready to rip the arms from Anne and pull her against his chest. The man holding her released Anne but it was with a shove towards the bearded guy which caused her to stumble against his chest for a brief moment before she gained her balance. When she turned around, his left arm that had held the bottle snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest again, this time facing Phillip, and the man’s other hand brushed her curls away from the side of her neck so his chin could rest against her bare shoulder. Anne twisted against the new man but when his other arm joined his first around her waist and tightened, Anne was pinned with no way to get to Phillip.

“Phillip! How nice to see you again!” Andrew exclaimed as he stepped slightly in front of Phillip’s path but left enough space for Phillip to just see Anne and her captor over Andrew’s shoulder.

Phillip’s eyes steeled over as he turned his glance towards Andrew and Anne was sure if he was a lion, Phillip’s mane would be bristled and his teeth bared as he practically growled at Andrew. “You have a minute to let her go and get out McConnell. That goes for all of you.” He shouted as he turned his attention around to the other men that were in his circus tent.

“Phillip, is that any way to treat such old friends?” Andrew asked in fake offense. “I mean, look! I got the group all back together. Even Conner is here,” he said while waving behind him to the timid man that had spoken out earlier. Conner seemed to shrink back farther into the shadows, not wanting Phillip to really turn his cold stare his way.

“We stopped being friends around the same time our parents sent us off to university. Where was it your parents sent you again? Down to your uncle’s in Charleston wasn’t it?” Phillip stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Now I’m going to say it again and only this one more time; let her go and leave.”

Anne felt the breath on her neck and a nose against her pulse point before a pair of chapped lips landed on the nape of her neck that had been exposed due to her hair being moved to the other side. She stiffened as the lips wandered over the side of her neck but the moment the hands on her hips started playing with the hem of her shirt, Anne started withering to get away from the touch. Phillip must have noticed her squirming because he suddenly moved slightly to his left and actually let out a growl as he lunged forward. He was stopped by two guys moving in his path and grabbing his arms, though Anne felt a small moment of satisfaction seeing they were having slight troubles keeping Phillip contained as he almost broke free multiple times.

“Get your grubby lips and hands off her!!” Phillip snarled as he wrestled to get free. His fist itched to make contact with the face of the man that was currently making his girlfriend uncomfortable.

“Oh Phillip!” Andrew said almost unfazed by the current events happening around the circus tent. “Have you met my cousin Charles? Silly of me to forget introductions. He’s the son of the uncle I spent time with in South Carolina. He came up to visit and I said, ‘Charles, we just have to go see Phillip down at the Barnum circus. They have this amazing sibling pair that does some of the best arobatics’.”

Anne’s body went from struggling to shut down mode when Andrew mentioned the man holding her was from the South. If he was from the South, then Charles was definitely used to getting what he wanted from a colored woman. If Andrew had spent time down with Charles’s family and specifically knew and suggested they see the acrobatic performances of the Barnum circus, namely with it being a colored act, Anne could no longer ignore the direction the events of this evening were more than likely going to be heading.

“I heard that an old friend of Andrew’s had been disowned by his family due to his willingness to join and continue working at a circus. Andrew here corrected me and told me it was because you developed feelings towards a mulatto that got you disowned. I didn’t believe him until we came to see the show this evening.” Charles spoke while his hands had found their way under Anne’s shirt and were dancing around her hipbone. “Of course, I didn’t believe Andrew because why would a man of your status with so many women to choose from go for a mulatto. Then I saw the _kiss_. At first I was too shocked to process why you so publicly kissed her but then I remembered some stories my daddy told me about her kind before I took over the farm.” Charles face broke into a grin as he made eye contact with Phillip before moving his hands farther down and whispered in Anne’s ear, “She must be very willing to keep your bed warm at night and be _very_ good at it too.”

Phillip heard the words that came from Charles mouth and blanched at the meaning of how Charles’ and Andrew’s family saw Anne; as nothing more than something they could have fun with in the evening and then ignore in the morning. What was worse than the implication was Phillip could see the effect the talk was having on Anne. Her face was stained with tears that were still streaming down her face and her whole body was shaking as Charles went back to leaving open lipped kisses along her neck while his hands continued to roam.

“And I talked Andrew here into getting some of the guys together because if she’s good enough for you Carlyle, I’m sure she would be willing to help out a few other men from wealthy families. We can show her what it really means to be a circus whore.” Charles managed out between his kisses, his hands never stopping their exploration of Anne’s skin. The other guys hanging around let their own eyes roam over Anne’s body, not bothering to hide the smiles from their faces. Anne, in her defense, started to struggle even more wildly, even dug an elbow into Charles’ ribs which resulted in his grip on her skin to tighten enough to cause her face twisted in pain.

"You son of a bitch!” Phillip yelled as his own struggling intensified, fighting to break free, to save the love of his life from something they themselves hadn’t even gotten far enough in their relationship to do. Andrew just nodded to one of the other men and soon the man’s fist collided with Phillip’s stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and one of his knees to land in the sand. Charles decided to keep his eyes locked with Phillip’s through it all but something snapped and Phillip finally understood now all the times he had read the expression that a man saw red; he saw red the moment he heard a small whimper escape from Anne, who had otherwise made sure to not make a sound the whole evening, as one of Charles’ hands moved under her short’s waistband. Phillip had ripped one arm free when everyone stopped as a pair of footsteps was heard scurrying towards the tent flap.

“Anne, I know you like to practice late and Phillip is here with you, but Constantine mentioned he saw some men hanging around the circus earlier and we wanted to make sure everything was okay.” WD walked into the tent followed closely by Constantine. Both men stopped in their tracks when they took in the spectacle in front of them. WD’s eyes scanned the situation until his eyes landed on Anne in the back, pressed up against a white man, shaking, in tears with her clothes disheveled and hair wild around her face. Phillip took the distraction that came with the entrance of the two men and sent his fist into the face of the guy holding his other arm. That fist thrown seemed to bring everyone back to the present, and WD and Constantine ran into the circle of men that had been surrounding Phillip and Anne.

Phillip didn’t see anything happening around him as his focus zeroed in on Charles who still had his arms around Anne’s midsection, his grin a challenge to Phillip. Phillip’s feet moved without his brain thinking but next thing he knew, Anne was out of his way and his fist had connected with Charles nose while Charles fist sent the air out of Phillip’s lungs for a second time. Phillip doesn’t remember much of how but soon he and Charles had taken to wrestling on the dirt floor, throwing any punch that would be lucky enough to land on their opponent. Charles had pinned Phillip beneath him and raised his fist to give another blow to Phillip’s face when WD wrapped an arm around Charles throat while his other arm went around the man’s waist to pull him off of the ringmaster. Phillip gasped for air while he lay there listening to the running feet of Andrew and his friends hightailing it away from the circus as WD yelled after them.

Phillip’s eye sight was shadowed by Constantine as he leaned over, offering a hand to Phillip which he graciously took to help him sit up on the floor. As Phillip took mental stock of what bruises were starting to form, his mind snapped back to the whole reason he had the fight in the first place. _Anne!_

Phillip scurried to his knees and looked around to find Anne curled in on herself over by one of the pedestals that the elephants used during performances with WD protectively crouched next to her whispering in her ear. Phillip didn’t bother standing as that would take too much time, instead he crawled on hands and knees to the shivering girl. As Phillip got closer and reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, Anne flinched backwards, farther into the pedestal behind her. Phillip’s heart sank even farther when he noticed the glazed look in her normally bright eyes and realized that she was in too much shock to distinguish between him and the other white man who had tormented her.

“Phillip, maybe I should-“ WD tried to ease the poor man away but Phillip shook his head frantically.

“No. Please WD. Let me have a moment alone with her. If I can’t get her to open up to me, I’ll call you right back in. You don’t even have to go far; just wait outside the tent.” Phillip pleaded with the older Wheeler sibling. WD frowned down at his sister for a moment before looking into Phillip’s equally dead eyes, gave a curt nod, and walked out of the tent with Constantine on his tail.

Phillip moved so he was sitting in front of Anne, leaving enough space between them that she wouldn’t feel like he was invading her space but still close enough that he could calm his nerves by analyzing her features.

“Anne…” he whispered calmly, trying to soothe her nerves. “Honey, it’s me. It’s Phillip.” Anne didn’t make any indication that she heard him. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry Anne.” Phillip continued as tears started to form in his eyes. “I wasn’t strong enough to reach you. I should have been here sooner. If I had just been here a few minutes earlier, I could have stopped them. I could have held them off while you ran. It’s all my fault.” Phillip’s voice cracked with his last sentence. _It is my fault, he thought. I made the decision to spend longer going over the books when I knew Anne was waiting for me. If I had arrived when I normally do, then she wouldn’t have faced them alone. I wasn’t here for her…it’s all my fault…_

“It’s not your fault.” Phillip was pulled from his thoughts at the tiny voice that came from the shaken girl in front of him. He looked up into the chocolate eyes of the girl he loved; they might not have been as bright as normal, but they were _looking_ at him. He reached out a hand to touch her cheek before pulling back at the last moment, not sure how she would feel about him touching her. Anne’s eyes flashed with hurt as Phillip pulled away but she figured he was trying to give her space if she wanted it, when really, all she wanted was to be wrapped up in his arms. She took the initiative and squirmed under his arms and grasped his middle with her own arms, holding on to him for dear life.

She breathed in his scent and started to feel the shaking in her body lessen as Phillip’s arms grew stronger around her back, pulling her farther into his chest. It was different than when she was flush against Charles’s chest; Phillip’s chest was secure, it was safe. It also held his heart that Anne could tell was beating faster than her own. Phillip rested his chin on top of her curls and he grounded himself in knowing that she was safe in his arms again.

“I’m so sorry Anne. I’m so-“

“If you say sorry again, I will hit you.” Anne interrupted Phillip’s apologies with her own threat. “It’s not your fault, Phillip.” Phillip didn’t respond and Anne pulled herself away from his chest to stare in his eyes. “Phillip Carlyle, you listen to me. It’s not your fault that any of this happened. You couldn’t have known that tonight was going to be any different than the other nights I come to practice.” Phillip didn’t look any more convinced and bowed his head so he wouldn’t have to look in her eyes. So Anne did the one thing she knew would convince him she was telling the truth. She brought her hands to his face, turned him to look at her, and stroked his left check with her thumb before bring her lips to his. And God, they were the softest lips Anne had ever felt!

Phillip pulled back and stared into the eyes of the toughest but most loving woman he knew. This was the woman that could jump from a platform with nothing more than faith that her brother would catch her. The woman that stole his breath every moment she sent him a smile or brushed her fingers against his as they walked out in public-never holding his hand but always letting him know that she was right there with him.

“I love you Anne Wheeler.” Phillip breathed out as he brought his lips back to hers in the briefest kiss that caused her to shiver and not due to the cold.

“And I love you Phillip Carlyle.” She whispered back, leaning back down so her head was resting against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Well that was fun! Leave a comment and help a fellow writer out. I have a few more stories with this beautiful couple in mind, so keep your eyes peeled for some more Phillip/Anne love coming your way


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